Numerous archaeological finds and monuments in the foothills of Karatau and in Talas-Assin oasis show the antiquity of settlements in the Talas River valley, supporting Taraz's claim to being the most ancient city in Kazakhstan.

[4] The third historical period begins with the establishment of a Kokand fortress at the end of the 18th century, which in 1864 was named Auliye-Ata (from the Uzbek words meaning saint and father).

In response, Byzantium sent ambassadors to the Turkic Kaganate, and in the 568 the embassy led by Zemarchus and Maniach to the Muhan Khan arrived in Taraz at the court of Istemi Yabgu.

Due to written sources and archaeological investigation, it is known from the 1st BC to 5th AD Kangui (Kanglu) tribes lived in the Talas River Valley.

Similarity between the excavated materials of Taraz and the Kurgans of the Gynskyi and Usunskyi-Kanguiskyi tribes show the introduction of Turkic language.

Written sources of Paleo-Anthropological material collected from Kurgans in Southern Kazakhstan show the existence of close ties between Taraz and the Kypchaks, Qarluq populations of nearby valleys.

The black (kara) Turkish owned the Talas River Valley and made Taraz their capital in the middle of the 7th century.

As a major halt, it flourished amidst a comparatively gentle climate, fertile soil and rich pastures, which attracted many stockbreeders and farmers.

This is the site of the "Battle of Talas"—first and the last military face-off between the Muslim Arab forces and the Chinese imperial troops in AD 750–51.

By this time Taraz, developing little by little had been a rich city-state typical of Central Asia with a large population and vast agricultural zone.

In the late 9th century the Samanids extended their rule into the Steppes and captured Taraz (893), then one of the headquarters of the Karluk kaghan.

[7] The Islamization of Central Asia was due in significant part to the activities of the Samanids, and in Taraz, other pre-existing religions such as Mazdaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Tengrism were gradually replaced.

[citation needed] The Persian Samanids however were defeated by the Turkic Karakhanids who were a confederation of Karluks, Chigils, Yaghmas and other tribes.

The Karakhanids were the first Turkic groups to have converted to Islam en masse,[7] and from the 10th to 12th century Taraz was ruled by the Kara-Khanid Khanate as a Muslim state.

The power of the city under one of the rulers, Tugan-Khan, was so great that he independently waged a military campaign against Samarkand and temporarily captured it.

[citation needed] Karakhanid rule did not last long because in 1220 nearly all Central Asia and the territory of modern Kazakhstan were invaded by Mongols.

[citation needed] The Tsareviches, who, as Vasa of 14th century states, "burnt the Golden Horde, destroyed Taraz and other cities, and killed the population.

Under the Kazakh Khans in ancient Taraz there was just a small settlement, the inhabitants of which were engaged in craft, agriculture and cattle breeding.

[10] As a result of the Dzungars' destruction the area became a No man's land, Qing China had to deal with consistent cross-border immigration of Kazakh people.

In fact, all of Xinjiang was populated by Kazakhs during the period as the aboriginal western Mongols of Dzungars [clarification needed] were eliminated by the Qing in earlier years.

Due to the comparatively advantageous position of the fortress which was built on the ruins of ancient Taraz a new town began quickly to grow around it.

At that time there were 11,700 inhabitants in the town – besides Russians and Ukrainians there were a lot of Uzbeks; Kazakhs were nearly absent, as they led a nomadic way of life.

[12] Ethnic composition of the city according to 1897 census:[12] During the first two decades following the Russian Revolution and the Civil War, Aulie-Ata remained a small town.

Starting in the 1930s, Dzhambul, along with other places in Kazakhstan, became the destination for large numbers of the deported peoples who were subject to internal exile.

Millions of Volga Germans, Chechens, Ukrainians, Koreans and other ethnic minorities, along with other marginalized subjects (former kulaks, members of the aristocracy, families of convicted "enemies of the people," etc.)

As a result, Dzhambul had a highly diverse population composed of multiple ethnic groups, the largest being the Russians, followed by the Kazakhs.

Fast-paced industrialization brought many amenities of modern urban living to the city, previously largely unknown, such as typical Soviet apartment blocks as well as condo-style houses, now all supplied with electricity and running water; roads and public transport; several higher education institutions; large public parks, department stores, etc.

Although chemical and construction industries made up the core of the city's economy, Dzhambul continued to function as an unofficial trade post with its proximity to the other Central Asian republics and a relatively mobile population.

Dzhambul, along with much of Kazakhstan, suffered a severe economic crisis in the early 1990s after the break-up of the Soviet Union, with many industries coming to an almost complete halt.

The city lost a significant portion of its population with the exodus of the various nationalities that once made up its diversity, notably the Volga Germans and the Jews, as well as many Russians and Ukrainians.